Deaths of the Whedonverse: From Least to Most Devastating.

This has been the most difficult article I’ve ever written, for multiple reasons: worrying about what my fellow Whedonites would think, the potential backlash from those who are in total disagreement, shorting out my computer with tears. (Seriously, I’m crying right now, and probably still will be by the time you read this.) Also, I realized that my feelings about these deaths change every time I think about them. Each of these will seem like the most heartbreaking while you’re watching them happen, but then you move onto the next one. (In case you’re wondering, at perhaps slight cost to the quality of this list, to preserve my own tear ducts and emotional stability, I opted not to watch clips of each death one after the other.)

Also, know now that I’m not including characters who come back from the dead in any way, only those who went down and stayed down for good (so far). Note: this post containers as massive amount of spoilers, so if you're watching any of Joss Whendon's shows for the first time, bookmark this post, continue binge-watching, and return back later. You were warned.

Paul Ballard (Dollhouse)

For my part, Paul’s death didn’t hit me that hard. I don’t know if it’s because his mind wasn’t 100% his (having had to be partially restored after Alpha erased it), or because I had always been kind of lukewarm on him, but his was one of the few Whedon deaths that didn’t move me to tears. Sorry, bro.

Thanks Rachel! The whole plotline of Joyce's sickness and death was definitely one of Whedon's best — I love that they brought in an additional threat that seems so mundane next to the supernatural stuff they face every day but is really just as dangerous.

You forgot one, though - BUFFY!! (Death #2) I know she came back, but to a confused high-schooler who didn't know about the whole UPN thing, it was devastating. I still remember just sitting there, whimpering. Dawn was so not worth it.

You're totally right — I definitely took that death harder than Joyce's (and yeah, Dawn kind of sucked), but if I included it I would've had to include the other 30 or so fake-out deaths Whedon wrote, haha...

Wonderful list, but I'm kind of surprised that Cordelia isn't anywhere on the list at all! I thought her death was the most tragic of all of them. I mean, I won't insist on ranking her first, but I at least thought it'd rank higher than... Jonathan. Or Doyle. Or someone like that.

I don't agree with a lot of the rating but the one thing that stuck out was where's Wes? His death was heartbreaking with Illyria turning into Fred for him and then her final words. "Wesley's dead. I'm feeling grief for him. I can't seem to control it. I wish to do more violence."

Hey y'all, I decided to keep the list to just people who died and didn't come back at all (mostly because this list would've been like 100-deep otherwise). I was super broken up about Wesley — especially when Illyria took on Fred's form to comfort him — but he popped up incorporeally in the comics (as did Cordelia) :)

Ballard came back like 10 minutes later in Echo's head. Darla came back as a ghost/vision (or version of the First depending on who you ask) after she died. Fred comes back in the comics briefly after Illyria's powers get all jacked up. Even Joyce makes an appearance as a ghost after she's gone. Cordelia's reappearance after her death is just a brief as any of the others I just listed, and Wesley is only a ghost for the first arc of the comics. Once angel sets the clock back in After the Fall, we lose Wesley all over again, which makes his death even sadder... My point is, Cordy and Wesley should both be on this list.

Which Joyce appearance are you talking about? I know we see her when Buffy goes catatonic, and again when Buffy's tricked into thinking she's in a mental institution, but I think every time after that it's the First Evil pretending to be her. With Fred, I might be wrong, but I think it was determined that it wasn't really Fred but Illyria's manifestation of her. I'll admit with Paul I was kind of unsure whether to include him because his final appearance was as an imprint — one of the reasons the list was so hard to write is that the lines of the Whedonverse are so blurred — on top of all the crying :)

It's definitely the most popular theory, though some people argue that the First couldn't be in two places at once (i.e. at the Summers house and with Willow pretending to be Cassie). It just seemed really weird to me that Joyce would ever tell Dawn Buffy wouldn't be there for her.

I know he did his fare share of evil things, but Ben's death in S5 was pretty heartbreaking for me, especially since he never had a chance for redemption. If Xander could save willow with a yellow crayon, there had to be something so save Glory's human half. I will also always love/miss Kendra the Vampire Slayer.

I like the list. I agree with the order and reasoning except Anya. Her death was brutal and harsh and she did deserve better. But, kinda of like with Joyce and Tara, sometimes that is just how the cookie crumbles.

I think Jenny's death changed the show and the characters more than anything. It made us hate Angel. It got Willow started on witchcraft, which brought Tara into the Scoobies, and made Buffy's resurrection possible. It caused Buffy to start keeping secrets from the others after Angel returned.

I think Jenny's death changed the show and the characters more than anything. It made us hate Angel. It got Willow started on witchcraft, which brought Tara into the Scoobies, and made Buffy's resurrection possible. It caused Buffy to start keeping secrets from the others after Angel returned.

I think Jenny's death changed the show and the characters more than anything. It made us hate Angel. It got Willow started on witchcraft, which brought Tara into the Scoobies, and made Buffy's resurrection possible. It caused Buffy to start keeping secrets from the others after Angel returned.

I think Jenny's death changed the show and the characters more than anything. It made us hate Angel. It got Willow started on witchcraft, which brought Tara into the Scoobies, and made Buffy's resurrection possible. It caused Buffy to start keeping secrets from the others after Angel returned.

I think Jenny's death changed the show and the characters more than anything. It made us hate Angel. It got Willow started on witchcraft, which brought Tara into the Scoobies, and made Buffy's resurrection possible. It caused Buffy to start keeping secrets from the others after Angel returned.

Anya was my favorite character from BtVS.. I thought her death was perfect. Quick and to the point, just like she was. It matched her personality. I loved that this time she stayed to fight knowing she could have died, she mentioned the bunnies to show she wasn't scared. This girl conquered her fears.. what sucked was Xander's reaction to the news of her death.